Billboards overlapping trees up close (LOD issue)

[jjensson]

This is probably something i've overlooked, but i can't find the reason for the issue. Here's how it looks in the Solitude Swamps:

https://imgur.com/a/nW6bRQ2

 

And this is my install order:

https://imgur.com/J74z4ZW

 

Usually i use ultra trees, and don't have problems. Now i decided to use billboards, for better performance (SkyrimVR). Here are my steps:

 

1) xLODGen for terrain (with SSE-Terrain-Tamriel.esm)

2) TexGen

3) Dyndolod on High Settings with tree LOD enabled

4) xLODGen for Occlusion.esp

 

Since the whole LOD mechanics of Skyrim still confuse me a bit, i'm at my wit's end. Hope that someone could give me a nudge, were to start looking for the culprit.

I tried starting a new game, deleting Dyndolod's cache before generating, but still the same...

 

[EDIT] The issue is gone if i use the LOW setting in Dyndolod (could have been the medium setting, but pretty sure it was LOW). Could this fact give any clues to what's going on?

Edited August 7, 2020 by jjensson

[sheson]

FAQ: Game: Tree LOD: LOD trees show in loaded cells

A: Make sure that nothing overwrites the generated LOD files.

A: Make sure all plugins with ITM or deleted references are cleaned. See https://tes5edit.github.io/docs/5-mod-cleaning-and-error-checking.html

A: If the load order / priority of plugins adding or changing tree references was changed, generate tree LOD again so it matches the new load order.

 

Generated new LOD for the current load order fixed it. The presets are for object LOD and do not affect tree LOD generation.

[jjensson]

Thanks for the reply, Sheson. I've re-generated the LOD multiple times, i always re-do ALL patches if something changes in my load order. And nothing's overwriting the generated LOD files.

 

I immediately generated a new LOD after my first posting, this time on high settings (now i know that it doesn't affect tree LOD) - and lo and behold, the problem is gone! Nothing changed, except that i generated LOD at low/medium settings, and then back at high settings. Very weird...

 

Now that i know how the issue is called, i found a posting on r/skyrimvr by yausd, that says:

"Make sure none of those trees are added by a plugin flagged as ESL. The engine does not properly support tree LOD for such trees."

 

I have a couple of ESPs from tree mods that are flagged as ESLs. Should i change the flags back to ESP? Could this explain the behavior, or is yausd's warning deprecated with new versions of Dyndolod?

 

Could this ESL issue explain some crashes i'm having out in the open (i think on cell load)?

Edited August 7, 2020 by jjensson

[sheson]

Tree references added by ESL flagged plugins are ignored for tree LOD. There will be log messages. Trees that can not have tree LOD for such technical reasons are done as object LOD instead.

 

If those trees had normal tree LOD generated the effect would be exactly that the tree LOD shows in the loaded cells - it doesn't have be the tree added by the ESL plugin, but one from any other plugin with the same form id. So, generally ESL flagged plugins should avoid adding tree references.

 

The tree LOD engine is just not able to match the load order form ids found in the BTT files to the ones in the ESL. None of this should cause CTD.

[jjensson]

Thx, Sheson. Bad news is that the issue was resolved only if i loaded the save in the swamp. Now i loaded inside Solitude, then left through the gate, and outside the issue was back.

 

I need a bit to fully digest your last reply, but meanwhile i'll remove the flags and go from there.

[sheson]

You can always use ultra tree LOD (TreeLOD=0 in DynDOLOD INI so all tree LOD is done in object LOD) with billboards for all LOD levels in case 3D tree LOD proofs too resource intensive. Then any such tree LOD engine limitations or bugs because of plugin load order changes would be non existent.

[jjensson]

[checks Dyndolod glossary for 10min... aaah! ]

 

What is the difference, performance-wise, b/w traditional tree LOD and Ultra Trees with billboards for all levels?

 

Is there a visual advantage, besides being easier to manage as you say? A disadvantage would be that i can't use Dyndolod to automatically darken the tree LODs, right?

Edited August 7, 2020 by jjensson

[sheson]

Apparently performance is slightly better doing billboard trees in object LOD and having no tree LOD at all.  See https://forum.step-project.com/topic/15067-strange-performance-problem-ultra-trees-much-faster-than-billboards-skyrimvr/

 

The tree LOD brightness setting is always applied to billboards before they are being added to the atlas texture, regardless of LOD type.

 

Fading is different.

[jjensson]

OK, ultra trees w- all billboards works well. The only issue i have is that the billboards from EVT differ drastically in brightness from those of the Standalone Oaks mod. I tried fixing the latter with Photoshop, and learned the hard way that sRGB on export is *not* the way to go. []-)

 

Thanks again for the help and your patience, Sheson!

Edited August 8, 2020 by jjensson